Tuesday, November 27, 2012

In homes that use septic tanks, prescription and over-the-counter drugs flushed down the toilet can leach into the ground and seep into ground water.

In cities and towns where residences are connected to wastewater treatment plants, prescription and over-the-counter drugs poured down the sink or flushed down the toilet can pass through the treatment system and enter rivers and lakes. They may flow downstream to serve as sources for community drinking water supplies. Water treatment plants are generally not equipped to routinely remove medicines.

How Proper Disposal of Medicines Protects You andthe Earth:

Prevents poisoning of children and pets

Deters misuse by teenagers and adults

Avoids health problems from accidentally taking the wrong medicine, too much of the same medicine, or a medicine that is too old to work well

Keeps medicines from entering streams and rivers when poured down the drain or flushed down the toilet

No filter will remove every contaminant, in part because the list of risky chemicals keeps growing. But here are the most common types of filters and the major contaminants they are designed to trap:

Carbon filters include countertop pitchers, faucet-mounted models, undersink models (which usually require a permanent connection to an existing pipe), and whole-house or point-of-entry systems (usually installed in the basement or outside). Carbon, a porous material, absorbs impurities as the water passes through. What they remove: Lead, PCBs, chlorine byproducts (chloramines and trihalomethanes), certain parasites, radon, pesticides and herbicides, the gasoline additive MTBE, the dry-cleaning solvent trichloroethylene, some volatile organic compounds, some levels of bacteria (such as Cryptosporidium and Giardia) and a small number of pharmaceuticals.

Reverse-osmosis systems push water through a semipermeable membrane, which acts as an extremely fine filter. They're often used in conjunction with carbon filters. However, these systems waste 4 to 9 gallons (15 to 34 liters) of water for every gallon (3.8 liters) filtered. What they remove: Chemicals carbon filters may miss, including perchlorate, sulfates, fluoride, industrial chemicals, heavy metals (including lead), chlorine byproducts, chlorides (which make water taste salty), and pharmaceuticals.

Ultraviolet light units disinfect water, killing bacteria. Countertop units can be found for under U.S. $100, but most whole-house units cost $700 and upward. What they remove: Bacteria. Experts recommend using them with carbon filters to remove other contaminants.

Bottled water quality without the bottle. You'll enjoy deliciously fresh drinking water all the time with one of our reverse osmosis systems. And with RainSoft drinking water purification systems, there are no heavy bottles to lug or deliveries to schedule. Just turn on the faucet and enjoy. You'll also be doing the environment a favor!

Coffee, tea, ice, soups, juices...you name it! Anything made with water from RainSoft home water filtration systems will taste noticeably better. So will your prepared foods. After all, water is the number one ingredient in your kitchen. You'll taste the difference every time you use water from your RainSoft drinking water system.

Home Water Treatment

With two premium drinking water systems, RainSoft water treatment delivers a higher quality and better tasting drinking water experience. Not only will the water from a RainSoft drinking water system in your glass taste distinctly better, but so will all of the food and beverages you make with it.

Ultrefiner reverse osmosis water systems are RainSoft's premier drinking water system. Using advanced RO technology, the Ultrefiner provides highly polished drinking water that filters out smaller particles that can be missed by less refined drinking water systems.

For out-of-the-way convenience, Hydrefiner drinking water systems deliver a continuous supply of clean, fresh water from right under your sink. Utilizing a compressed carbon-block filter, the Hydrefiner eliminates bad tastes and odors from home drinking water.

What to do and not to do to keep indoor air healthy during big storms

Never set up a generator inside, not even in a garage or partially enclosed space, said Emily Knearl, spokeswoman with the Delaware Division of Public Health.

"If you feel weak, sick or dizzy using a generator, get to fresh air right away," Knearl said. "Carbon monoxide [sometimes created by] generators can kill within minutes."

Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia emergency medicine physician Fred Henretig is the senior toxicologist for the Poison Control Center in Philadelphia.

Center officials often notice a spike in calls when power outages become widespread and more people begin running portable generators.

“People sometimes forget those are internal combustion engines, just like an automobile engine is. They are producing carbon monoxide as a by product,” Henretig said. “That’s why we want to get the word out now.”

The number for poison control is the same across the United States, 800-222-1222.

“If someone has collapsed call 911,” Henretig said. “I think, if it’s a more subtle situation and someone is just feeling ill and they are not sure what’s going on, then calling the poison control center is certainly reasonable.

In Delaware, the Storm Recovery Call Center--866-408-1899--opens at noon Tuesday. Health division staffers can answer a long list of basic questions.

"How do you find out if your food is safe after a power outage or flood? How do you disinfect your water?" Knearl said. "How do you prevent mold? What's the safest way to clean a flooded basement? Even how to re-open a restaurant or food establishment after flooding."

If water seeps inside, it may take as long as 48 hours to rid a home of excess moisture to prevent mold. Close windows and doors if you are using a dehumidifier, open them wide if you don't have one.

"It's important to not only to dry out your property, but it's important to disinfect it," Knearl said. "They need to use bleach, mildew removers and disinfectant. You may need to remove parts of walls, and ceiling and floors to completely dry out the house."

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Quality of Water from Public-Supply Wells in the United States

More than 20 percent of untreated water samples from 932 public wells across the nation contained at least one contaminant at levels of potential health concern. About 105 million people - or more than one-third of the nation's population - receive their drinking water from one of the 140,000 public water systems across the U.S. that rely on groundwater pumped from public wells.

About 105 million people—more than one-third of the Nation’s population—receive their drinking water from one of the 140,000 public water systems across the United States that use groundwater as their source.

Scientists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessed water-quality conditions in source (untreated) groundwater from 932 public wells, and in source and finished (treated) water from a subset of 94 wells. A greater number of chemical contaminants (as many as 337), both naturally occurring and man-made, were assessed in this study than in any previous national study of public wells.

The objectives of this study were to evaluate (1) the occurrence of contaminants in source water from public wells and their potential significance to human health, (2) whether contaminants that occur in source water also occur in finished water after treatment, and (3) the occurrence and characteristics of contaminant mixtures.

RainSoft's compact, economical, carbon block drinking water system tucks neatly under your sink and dispenses a constant supply of purely delicious water through your dedicated RainSoft faucet. Additional photo of the faucet will be provided.

Function

Hydrefiner drinking water filtration systems provide a dependable source of high quality water for drinking, cooking, making coffee and tea's - just about anything you make with water!

Performance

These RainSoft home water filtration systems utilize a highly compressed carbon block filter made of selected activated carbons to reduce chlorine tastes and odors, as well as other select contaminants. +

Convenience

Installs out-of-sight under the kitchen sink.

Economy

Produces up to 830* gallons of filtered water before cartridge replacement is needed.

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Germs on a water fountain are no surprise, but what about drugs in the water?

"Most meds when they are taken are not completely absorbed by the body, they pass through unchanged," said Ron Melaragni, Adminstrative Director for Sparrow Pharmacy Plus. "They get into the water supply and cause pollution, even if it's minor."

In addition, there's the commonly held belief that people are supposed to flush leftover prescriptions down the toilet. Over the years that practice has taken its toll on wildlife, including fish with three eyes and two sets of reproductive organs, according to some studies.

"There is a lot of evidence that speaks to the residuals being in the receiving waters of the United States and the local community here," said Chad Gamble, Director of Public Service for the City of Lansing. "Now they're at very, very low levels, but we want to be on the front end of that. We want to be able to protect the environment."

Gamble said most waste water treatment facilities, including Lansing's, can't remove every leftover drug particle. That makes initiatives like the third annual Medication Disposal Event at the Capitol on Tuesday especially important.

"It's a source control issue, which is inviting people to take a little bit more time out of their day to dispose of their drugs when they're done using them in a safe and efficientmanner," Gamble said.
This year more than 579 pounds of unwanted or expired medication was collected, which amounts to about $1 million worth.

At this point, experts say the flushing method hasn't made drinking water dangerous for humans yet. "But if this process continues, who knows what could happen," Melaragni said. "So, it's important to do it the right way, so it doesn't get in the water supply."

If you missed the Capitol's disposal event, there is a national one happening Sept. 29. There's also a new kit on the market that will soon be on pharmacy shelves for use in the home. It's just a little black plastic bag filled with a substance when mixed with warm water, neutralizes prescriptions - up to 45 pills or 6 ounces of liquid medicine can fit in it. Once it's mixed, you seal it, and throw it in the trash.

Pharmacisits also recommend using kitty litter or coffee grounds in a container with the prescriptions and dispose of them that way.

The Ingham County Sheriff's Office recently added a bin in their lobby where anyone can drop off old pills free of charge during normal business hours.

RainSoft Water Facts

Maximum Contaminant Level Goals vs. Maximum Contaminant Levels

The environment has changed a lot in the last fifty years. Manufacturing and agricultural activities, along with our growing population, add an enormous amount of potentially hazardous materials to our environment.

As a result, the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA) and others have detected more than 700 different organic compounds in treated drinking-water supplies.

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Does fluoride in drinking water hurt your brain?

Back in 2011, the EPA reversed course and lowered the recommended maximum amount of fluoride in drinking water due to data that the levels then being allowed put kids at risk of dental fluorosis--streaking and pitting of teeth due to excessive fluoride, which also puts tooth enamel at risk.

This conclusion was a discordant note amidst all the accolades fluoride had won, starting with the discovery during the 1940s that people who lived near water supplies containing naturally occurring fluoride had fewer cavities in their teeth. A massive push ensued, with government and industry encouraging cities and towns to add fluoride to water supplies.

Now, questions about the impact of fluoride on mental health are growing and can no longer be ignored.

A recently published Harvard study showed that children living in areas with highly fluoridated water have "significantly lower" IQ scores than those living in areas where the water has low fluoride levels. In fact, the study analyzed the results of 27 prior investigations and found the following, among other conclusions:

* Fluoride may be a developmental neurotoxicant that affects brain development (in children) at exposures much below those that cause toxicity in adults.

* Rats exposed to (relatively low) fluoride concentrations in water showed cellular changes in the brain and increased levels of aluminum in brain tissue.

Other research studies in animals link fluoride intake to the development of beta-amyloid plaques (the classic finding in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's dementia).

And research on fluoride also has implicated it in changing the structure of the brains of fetuses, negatively impacting the behavioral/neurological assessment scores of newborns and, in animal studies, impairing memory.

This information is very important, from a psychiatric standpoint, because we have witnessed rising rates of attention deficit disorder, major depression, dementia and many other psychiatric illnesses since the 1940s, and because the United States (which fluoridates a much higher percentage of its drinking water than most countries, including European nations) has some of the highest rates of mental disorders in the world--by a wide margin.

It is not clear, of course, that fluoride is responsible wholly, or even in small measure, for these facts, but the connection is an intriguing one, especially in light of the new Harvard study.

Given the available data, I would recommend that children with learning disorders, attention deficit disorder, depression, attention-deficit disorder or other psychiatric illnesses refrain from drinking fluoridated water, and consult a dentist about the most effective way of delivering sufficient fluoride to the teeth directly, while minimizing absorption by the body as a whole--and the brain, specifically.

If you have air treatment or water conditioning questions, we have the answer. RainSoft is here to assist you in finding the right solution for your water treatment system concerns or questions. Do you think your city water is good enough without a water softening system? Do you want to know how much sodium is in your drinking water? Or maybe you want to be able to calculate just how much you can gain with RainSoft home water filtration systems?

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Water quality as important as quantity, even during drought

Arkansas Division of Agriculture | Updated: July 31, 2012

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – As Arkansas’ drought deepens, many are finding that “you don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone,” said John Pennington, Washington County extension agent for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture.

Exceptional and severe drought in parts of Arkansas have left some communities without water and have prompted some water systems to put water-use restrictions in place as reservoirs and other waterways become more shallow by the day.

“Water users in northwestern Arkansas are faring a little better, with lake levels that are still at 90 percent full,” Pennington said. “However, the longer we go without 9-23 or so inches of soaking rainfall across the state between now and September to end the drought, a lot more may be mandated to restrict some water uses.

“It’s a strange concept, to go without water, especially so when water is essential to so many things in life as we know it and it’s a resource we take for granted,” he said. “Without enough water we can’t produce food crops, forage for grazing animals, survive, or much less water our lawns.”

However, even at time when water quantity is of prime importance, water quality still matters.

“In times like these, I can certainly understand the perspective of some our neighbors in the western U.S., who think ‘who cares about water quality, when you don’t have enough water quantity?” Pennington said.

“As the pressure mounts on our water supplies, so does the pressure to preserve its quality,” he said. “This means protecting our water as much as we can by tackling the things that can degrade our water quality, including not over-fertilizing our lawns, properly disposing of trash such as cigarette butts, and using other best management practices to prevent runoff from washing pollutants it into the waterways and reservoirs here in the Natural State.”

Pennington said that “as soon as the rains come back and begin to fill the wells and drinking reservoirs around the state, we’ll all be wanting our drinking, fishing, and swimming water to be of high quality.”

To preserve both quality and quantity, many Arkansans are implementing voluntary measures.

For example, some aren’t watering the lawn anymore because they see it as a waste of water or too costly.

Mike Daniels, Extension water quality specialist for the U of A Division of Agriculture said: “I won’t water my lawn with treated water, because treated water has is too high of a quality for that use.”

RainSoft Has Home Water Treatment Systems

With two premium drinking water systems, RainSoft water treatment delivers a higher quality and better tasting drinking water experience. Not only will the water from a RainSoft drinking water system in your glass taste distinctly better, but so will all of the food and beverages you make with it.